Cruyff is the most influential footballer of all time, if not the best (I think that distinction belongs to Messi). He was not only a revolutionary player, but a revolutionary mind and laid the foundation for so much of modern football's success. He has been taken way too early. It's very sad, and the first time I've shed tears at the passing of a celebrity/sports figure. RIP Cruyff. Your legacy truly does make you immortal.
When I had to chose an avatar, I did not hesitate. Today is Johan's last turn that we will see from him. Another good way to remember him: http://www.theguardian.com/football...-are-there-to-help-you-johan-cruyff-in-quotes
I still can hardly believe it. I'm not an emotional person but the waters been behind my eyes all day. So sad to see him go. He was as great a person as he was a footballer.
I just saw an interview on RTL Z of Johan by Johan Derksen I hadnot seen before. That was the most insanely worst interview I have ever seen and I couldnot put me to look at it till the end. It was just a filthy way of that Derksen character to get at people he dislikes and used JC in that interview as an instrument or he tried to do it. What a piece of shameless shit he is. You get the chance to interview JC on football matters that are important and then you start your questions with degrading remarks towards the people subject of your questions to JC is putting him in an uncomfortable position. JC stayed civilized in his responses, but this shithole interviewer made me push the button.
Watched, and re-watched lots of videos over the last couple of hours. Got used to not seeing him play, now we got to miss hearing him talk too.
A very sad day for Dutch fans and football fans! My love of football starts with the orange number 14. Not many remembers who invented football, but so many will remember who makes the game better and more beautiful, it is Johan Cruyff!
I posted this on the Beautiful Game thread but hopefully those of you who post on the Netherlands thread here will appreciate this. When one ranks the five greatest soccer players of all time, he is on that list. Cruyff was one of those mystical sports figures who resonated me, a resonance reinforced by a special memory. You see, I had the privilege of seeing his first game in America live, at San Diego Stadium (now Qualcomm, I think), when he was playing for the LA Aztecs in the old NASL. It was in July of 1979. In the 79th minute of a scoreless draw, he put a spin on a corner kick that, at the time, seemed to me to jump right over the keeper's hands as he went to snare it, wafting onto the waiting head of an Aztec player for a 1-0 lead. It was a signature display of Cruyff's superior skills. San Diego then brought in Peter Nover off the bench, and lofted desperation pass after desperation pass towards the head atop his 6'5" frame. Desperation bore dividends; with five minutes to play Nover headed in a tying goal. The NASL played 15 minutes of sudden overtime then, and as the last 15 seconds ticked off, the SD speedy winger raced up field and slid a pass along the ground at the top of the box to Nover. He cradled it with his right foot, herky-jerky-ed, tapped the ball to his left, spun and fired a low shot to his right into the goal. 22,000+ throats started to yell; 22,000+ eyes looked up to the clock to see "0:01" showing; 22,000+ pairs of lungs resumed a roar -- and then 22,000+ hearts nearly leaped out of their chests as the home team's customary post-goal cannon BOOMED. But, though Cruyff lost that game, 2-1, like the only World Cup Final in which he played, he left a profound impression upon me of his superior skill and his power to transform a soccer match. May his family be speedily comforted. I have to add that I'm disappointed that there are so few posts here about Cruyff. The celebrities of the football world have tweeted promptly to pay respects. I would have expected more people who appreciate who Cruyff was to have done so as well. Thank you to those of you who have posted.
I am Australian-Chilean. Perhaps only a fellow South American (mixed or not) would understand what it is like to say, when asked the “greatest of all time” question, that his name is Johan Cruyff. The man revolutionised the game like no other. When I watch Barcelona, I think of Cruyff. I can’t say that about any other great, regardless of era. “In zekere zin ben ik waarschijnlijk onsterfelijk.”
It's not treason (even for a South American) to name someone other than Pele or Maradona. I would place those two ahead of Cruyff, but one cannot excoriate someone who says Cruyff.
This sucks, I'm shattered. He was a hero of mine not because he was a phenomenal player, manager, commentator, or humanitarian, although he was all that and incomparable in being among the best at all of it. No, for me he was a man of integrity above all else. He did or said what he felt was right as his conscience dictated, not what was easy or popular.
I knew this could happen anytime when we knew he was fighting cancer.. So I already kind of made peace with it, but still.. we are now without Johan. I'm in Groningen right now, but I will be going to Amsterdam to pay my respect in the evening.
He get you when you are on your wrong foot. That's the biggest mistake 80% of his opponents are making, it's almost always too late for a tackle. Johan seems to feel it instinctively and exploits it.
It is amazing how fast people can react to do something. About an hour or two after I had posted here, I walked into the Rotterdam shopping mall Zuidplein. You have those billboards with changing/rotating advertisements. Much to my astonishment the next billboardpicture that rolled in that window was a shirt with number 14 and Johan Cruijff on it. I stopped to watch the adverts roll by to make sure I wasnot imagining things. I was baffled.
http://www.espnfc.com/club/netherla...15/johan-cruyff-revolutionised-dutch-football Doe the criticism make sense or is it utter garbage? (the Van Gaal comparison)
A true legend..they should put down his name in a dictionary in front of the definition of a Legend hands down.One of a kind.We can only guess when will we ever see another footballer grace the green field with similar qualities specially as a man and secondly as a footballer not gonna happen in my lifetime...a superstar without Diva behaviour and the attitude of a superstar...when will we ever see an athlete like that??? I can strongly say NEVER ! And thats very sad to say the least...this loss still hasn't hit me.Part of my childhood and teen years playing as a footballer at club-level just died along with him. http://m.imgur.com/fnXNdbx?r
I read Kuper's column early today and think he is pretty much spot on. All of us, including the greats, have blind spots and I think that was what he was getting at. It in no way diminishes what Cruyff accomplished but does realistically point out some areas where he was less than successful.
Garbage in the sense he doesnt back any of his claims up at all.. yes imo. Claiming that Cruyff not just helped but had an important role in bringing dutch football to its ''present'' low.... Thats a claim you want to back up properly right, I mean without even diving deeper into the other reasons of the current present low. (not an in depth artical or pretends to be like that or anything though) And then suddenly.. Now he's rightly finally critisizing the dutch instead of (just) Cruyff for not updating his and their football ideas. But... It's not exactly like we have the resources for it in his comparisment. He compares only to Peps Barca and Bayern? Im glad Cruyffs after football work, his charity and positive messages to get the youth disabled or not to play sports and be active didnt get compared by this writer to fictional Jezus who was healing people sickness and disability right and left. Just empty comparisments based on what makes an entertaining article orsomethingright? I dont see any substance in this. Just based off this quote, did he undervalue power or did he just imply its not as important as brainpower... The van Gaal reference is just hilarious right? Article about Cruyff and his ideas, say he is atleast partly to blame for current NL football failure. And Van Gaal is dutch and he's currently doing shitty, so thats implied to be Cruyffs fault too. (not mentioning van Gaal couched NL came to the half-finals of last WC)
R.I.P. I may have had my grievances with him in the recent years but I have the uttermost respect for what he has done in his life. When it came to the current state of Dutch football he was also right, shame he cannot help change it anymore now